


ready for a change

by MissRaichyl



Series: Love Story [7]
Category: Glee
Genre: Angst, F/M, Heartache, Karaoke, Love, Romance, Singing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-17
Updated: 2015-03-17
Packaged: 2018-03-18 09:33:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,265
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3564770
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MissRaichyl/pseuds/MissRaichyl
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>He had nowhere else to go to vent, so he went to a place he could. A place for singer that was the perfect Scapegoat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	ready for a change

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for bandtogetherandfight's St. Berry "Change the World" challenge and like all the others, was originally posted on fanfiction. Set after New York.

I walked out of my hotel room, trying to get that damn kiss out of my head. Why would she choose him? If I can see it, can't everyone see it? I was the better choice. I understand her perfectly, well almost because I certainly don't understand this. There couldn't possibly be a universe where in those two could last. What dream is she holding on too? The one where she climbs to the top of her social ladder by dating the quarterback or the one where she can be able to say 'I'm dating a football player'? The Rachel I _thought_ I knew didn't care about those things. Never want to climb anywhere but to the top of the Broadway ladder. To just be the next Streisand. 

I rake a hand though my unnaturally tousled curls and hail a cab. Giving him the address as we pulled out into traffic, I leaned into the seat. The leather was worn thin; it smelled like sweaty socks, smokes, and vomit cleaner. I silently wondered why I never saw girl cabbies. The driver was always a guy as far back as I could remember. The cab pulled to a stop, pulling me from my rambling wonders. I paid him his $40 and jumped out, heading into the karaoke bar, an actors safe haven and worse nightmare.

As I opened the door, the place was unnaturally crowed- usually these things were barley scraping by, but this one had a pretty good following. Maybe I should've have chosen the one on 166th street. I looked around as my eyes adjusted to the lighting, unwinding my scarf from my neck, oh well, I'm here. It was pretty much the same as any other, look wise, anyway. There was a platform with a piano, a stool, a microphone, and some speakers with an amp for a guitar if a patron so chose to bring one. Tables and booths were lined up across the floor. There was a bar, next to the door, of course, and to the left of it was a back hallway, my guess was for the management and bathrooms.

I quickly claimed a stool at the end where I had a good view of the stage and settled myself as the bartender made his way to me. "What can I get you?" He asked. He had a New York accent from the Bronx and scruff on his chin a metal ring glancing of his wedding finger and barley no hair. My guess is he has been married 10 years and has two kids. I glanced at a menu in front of me.

"If I asked for a beer would you card me?" I asked him, a smirk playing on my lips and he laughed.

"Not tonight. Seems to be heartbreak hell out there." He nodded to the door, while cleaning a glass in his hand before setting it on the rack and popping the cap of some beer before handing it to me.

I felt my face fall and she came, unbidden, into my mind. "Tell me about it." I let my hands wrap around the cold body of the bottle and close my eyes, remembering, against my will, the events of three hours earlier.

"Sorry, man." The bartender replies and I gave him a nod. He moves on, back down the bar and onto a new customer. I look across the place and see a girl dancing on the stage, singing to some heartbreak song, my guess was Lenka- she seemed to be climbing in popularity as of late. I stepped away from the bar and meandered my way over to an open booth. The girl had on heavy black makeup with choppy, blonde hair and a KISS t-shirt. The normal grunge type with ripped jeans and a pair of knee-reaching, black, shiny boots. Her voice was a bit pitchy at some places and maybe if it wasn't for the alcohol in her system, she'd be decent but I couldn't argue that the song was perfect for tonight.

I wanted to order another beer, to wash away my sorrows, but I had decided that it was probably not the best idea to become any sort of intoxicated tonight. Rachel always hated drinking, more so after the catastrophe with the Glee club. God, she was still influencing my decisions. I still ordered a water instead of a beer. As I looked into the clear glass with its icy cubes and muse on how I used to find unrequited love so funny. I took a deep drink, not so much anymore.

It hurts because you want to wrap them in your arms, kiss them from dawn to dusk, sing your heart out to them, love them until it hurts but you can't because they aren't yours to do those things to. A guy, wearing a shirt similar to the bartender comes over a collects my empty bottle, "Can anyone sing?" I asked, nodding to the make-shift stage platform.

He follows my line of sight and nods, "Yeah, you just go up to guy by the speakers, his name's Rich, and he'll give you a chart thing, you put down your name and if you need background music." The guy instructed before he walked away. I picked myself from my sad, little booth and walked to the guy by the sound system, weaving through the tables.

I got the speakers picked up the signup sheet. It was pretty full but I managed to get my name down. I was number 24 and the paper had 'x's all the way down to number 15. I gave a nod to 'Rich' who gave me a nod, in return, as I handed him the sign-up sheet. Signing was always a good scapegoat for a performer like myself.

I went back to my booth, trying to keep _her_ away from my thoughts and what she is doing at this second but it didn't work and she was probably curled up in his arms, laughing as their friends sang ridiculously or watched some movie. I sat back down, heavily, and grabbed my glass, ignoring my want for alcohol to take my mind of all this- like hell I was going to become my father. I sat through the numbers, listening to the ones who couldn't carry notes _at all_ andthe ones who sang okay that only needed some training and others who could hit the notes but couldn't hold them. Not one of them could sing like Rachel, whose voice was velvet and chocolate, as warm as her eyes when she was happy. Was she happy now? With him?

I was stuck in my thoughts when I heard "Jesse St. James." I slowly got up and headed toward the stage, nodding at the performer coming down as I was going up. I had to do a fair amount of rearranging the stage to get it in a way that was playable, with the stool with the piano and the mic hooked to the stand in juncture with the key-string instrument. I sat down and clicked both of the mics on, "Ready?" Rich asked me and I nodded. He picked up his microphone, like he had for everyone, and announced me, "Next, Jesse with Change the World." He then backed off the stage. I was used to listening to this with a guitar and a piano was a completely different instrument.

 **If I could reach the stars I'd pull one down for you**  
**Shine it on my heart so you could see the truth**  
**That this love I have inside is everything it seems**  
**But for now I find it's only in my dreams**

I opened my eyes, watching my hands as they danced around the keys. It took me back to _Hello_ with Rachel in the music store. I smiled a true smile at the memory. Okay to let it play in my mind.

 **That I can change the world**  
**I would be the sunlight in your universe**  
**You will think my love was really something good**  
**Baby if I could change the world**

I saw her in my mind's eye. I apparently wasn't what she wanted and even though we would've taken the world by storm, we weren't enough. We could have been an epic tale. Before tonight, I thought we were inevitable. We clicked on so many different levels and every touch set my nerves on end- we could have instilled hope and raised young dreams. We really could have changed the world.

**If I could be king even for a day**  
**I'd take you as my queen I'd have it no other way**  
**And our love will rule in this kingdom we have made**  
**Till then I'd be a fool wishin' for the day**

I closed my eyes, letting my voice drift through the place. I heard some whispers wrapping around the room but I ignored them. I knew that I was good and probably the best thing to grace this stage tonight but as of this moment, I really just didn't care as the sad melody swarmed around me.

It was an electric moment that snapped my eyes open, something in me telling them to open. I felt my heart twist and I felt my stomach flip. Only one person ever, in my life, had elicited that reaction from me. So when my eyes opened wide, I scanned the bar until my clear, blue eyes met warm, brown eyes. I threw my emotions into the song, as much as I could. In my opinion, it made me sound even better.

 **That I can change the world**  
**I would be the sunlight in your universe**  
**You will think my love was really something good**  
**Baby if I could change the world**  
**Baby if I could change the world**

I stopped singing, letting the melody play out and my hands fell into place on every note. I did what do and I did my best. I looked up and watched her as she sat in my booth, though it wasn't hard to figure out it was mine. My jacket and scarf was on the table. She ordered something from bartender guy and then she quickly turned her eyes back to me. The words came back to the song in my head though the song had ended already and I never broke our eye contact, until I had to pull legs for under the piano and start my trek thought the applause and back to my occupied booth. The room exploded into clapping, more than any performer had owned that night since I had gotten in. I said my thanks to the random people who clapped me on the back until I slid into the seat and Rich announced the next singer, a girl who was a nervous ball of nerves.

I returned my gaze to the brown haired beauty, her brown eyes meeting mine instantly before blushing and looking down into my drink, which was in her hands. I smirked in humor as I waited for her to say something. She just took sips of our water, watching the girl on the stage, singing so worthless song about a cheap motel and night to never forget.

"I'm sorry for Finn." She speaks up, startling me. "He tends to overreact." She goes on, "I've been trying to find you." She scowls at me, "I've called you about a hundred times and have searched at least four karaoke places before this." She makes sure i know the trouble she went through to find me and I shrug, taking my drink from her and tipping its remaining contents into my mouth.

I return my eyes to the stage, a guy now, sing Gold Digger in the worse way possible and I wonder if this could be considered a capital crime. "I know you aren't gonna wait around forever." She speaks again and I return my eyes to her as Bartender Double refills my water and brings a new glass to the table. She slowly wraps her hands around the new one, pulling it toward her and muttering a thinks to the guy. I nod in appreciation and lift the glass to my lips. "A guy can only be turned down one so many times before giving up but I don't want you to give up because I really love you." She spills and I think I am actually in shock at this.

"How do I know you're telling me the truth? That you won't give up and run right back to where you came from?" I ask, looking at her with harsh eyes, doubt her for the first time.

"Because, I spent $120 on cab fare, got yelled at by Santana, sneaked out on Mr. Schue's lecture, and am sitting here, begging you to _give_ me one last chance." She pleads, grasping for my hand and nearly spilling my drink. "I know you hurt me and I've hurt you in return but I don't want us to be 'that' couple." She scoots closer to me and I let her place a hand on my thigh, "Jesse, I _want_ to change the world." She whispers and I really don''t know what possessed me to do it but I close the extra distance between us and kiss her. I feel her smile beneath my lips and I smile with her.

"We'll change the world, then." I pull her int my arms and let her sit and watch with me before I take her back to the hotel.


End file.
